


Call It Even

by ami_ven



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: mcsheplets, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-27 23:42:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2711045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney realizes something they’ve both known all along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Call It Even

**Author's Note:**

> written for LJ community "mcsheplets" prompt #058 "hindsight"

“I’m an idiot, and I’m sorry,” said Rodney, the moment John woke up.

John blinked up at the infirmary ceiling and tried to get that sentence to make sense. It didn’t work. “I think you’ve got your pronouns mixed up, there, buddy.”

“No, I don’t,” said Rodney. “Just this once, I missed something, something important, something that changes every bit of data I had.”

“Um, okay,” said John, blinking some more. He couldn’t hear any medical equipment beeping, so he couldn’t have been that badly hurt, but he also couldn’t remember exactly what had happened. Just yet. “Like what?”

“Like a lot of things.” Only one of Rodney’s hands was gesturing as he spoke, and it took John a moment to realize that Rodney was holding onto his hand with the other. “How many EpiPens do you have?”

“Um,” said John, rolling with Rodney’s non sequitur, as usual. “Three? One I keep in my tac vest, one in my pack, and one in my nightstand... Yeah, three.”

“Really? Your nightstand? No, never mind, we’ll come back to that. When was the last time you had orange juice?”

“Um,” John said again. “The last time I went back to Earth by myself, I guess, so… four months. Why?”

“Oh,” said Rodney. He still hadn’t let go of John’s hand, his grip sure and reassuring. “I just… When you were hit, Sheppard, when I saw you go down— I knew there was someone trying to kill us, but I wasn’t afraid, not even a little. I was just very, very angry. I wanted to hurt the people who hurt you. And when we got back to Atlantis, Teyla and Ronon stayed until Carson told us you’d only been stunned, then they went to bed. But I… I didn’t even think of going anywhere, I just stayed until you woke up.”

John’s brain was apparently not processing fast enough quite yet, because he really didn’t see the point— Rodney did that every time he was in the infirmary. “But I _was_ just stunned,” he said, half-question and half-reassurance. “I’m okay.”

“Yes, I know that,” Rodney snapped. 

“Then why are you an idiot?”

“I—” Rodney only just seemed to realize that they were holding hands and tried to pull away, but John held on tight.

“ _Hey_ ,” he said, softly. “What were you missing?”

“Oh, I, well…” Rodney took a deep breath. “I love you.”

“Oh,” said John. 

Rodney had been right, but they were _both_ idiots. Because how could they not have known this? How many things had he noticed, but never realized were important? How long had he been relying on Rodney as his north star, without realizing they were actually in a binary orbit?

John felt suddenly light-headed and closed his eyes, until Rodney grabbed his shoulder.

“Sheppard? John? Are you all right? Should I get—?”

John kissed him, twisting both hands into Rodney’s t-shirt and hauling him in. The scientist flailed for a moment, then settled against him, sliding his hands up to cup John’s jaw. John shivered, involuntarily. He knew exactly what those hands could do, and being on the receiving end of that attention was a surprisingly exciting prospect.

Finally, though, John had to breathe again, and he loosened his grip, leaning back against his pillows. Rodney was leaning over him, one hand braced on the bed by John’s hip, his other thumb stroking behind John’s ear.

“So,” John said, when Rodney opened his eyes again. “I’m sorry, too.”

“You’re…” Rodney began, then grinned and leaned in for another kiss. “Call it even?”

John grinned back. “Deal.”

THE END


End file.
